Allegedly leaked S-FR specs “total bullshit,” Toyota manager says

Today, I checked up on the supposed S-FR specs that took the Internet by storm. They are “total bullshit,” a well–informed Toyota manager told me today. Nothing of these alleged technical data of a possible low-cost Toyota sports coupe is true. Millions of readers around the world have been lied to – again.

I received the information the Toyota way: Genki genbutsu, or go and see yourself, advice especially apt for today’s car bloggers. I went to the reveal of the technical specs of the new Prius. At these events, there are hundreds of Toyota engineers and managers, and you can talk to them all. To a man and a woman, they confirmed that the supposed S-FR specs are utter nonsense, and a public nuisance.

The manager who characterized the reports as bovine bowel movement explained that the specs were simply dreamt up by the writer of a Japanese buff-book. The blogger at car.kurumagt.com lifted them from the printed magazine, and before we knew it, the bullshit was circling the globe.

The manager also pointed out: “Even if we would give the go-ahead today, the car would not go in production for at least two years. That far in advance, nobody at the company knows detailed specs with that precision. That alone tells you how silly that is.” The auto experts at the car blogs should know at least that much of the industry.

This example again shines light on the shoddiness of most information in this business. Complete nonsense is gobbled-up, regurgitated and sold as facts. Readers should keep in mind:

The majority of “future car” reports is made up.

Detailed specs of a car that is more than a few months out are a dead give-away that the writer is lying.

“Leaking” is when information is intentionally revealed in a slightly underhanded way. Dreamt-up specs are no leaks. They are lies.